What makes a man magnetic? The French have a word for it: Le Parfum. An indelible aura, for a charismatic man. The Yves Saint Laurent man: L’Homme. Today, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté is proud to introduce L’Homme Le Parfum. A rich blend of precious ambery woods and full-bodied cedar, Le Parfum is the most couture expression of L’Homme’s effortless masculinity. The new fragrance joins the best-selling range launched in 2006 with the epochal L’HOMME Eau De Toilette, a contemporary vision of the 21st century man in all his facets, matching edgy metallic notes with tender violet leaf and sensual tonka bean with the strength of wood.
This new woody signature expresses the elegance and refinement of a daytime fragrance, when La Nuit De L’Homme, Le Parfum is the darkest and most seductive version of sensual spice and amber accords of La Nuit De L’Homme, Eau De Toilette. Magnetic by day. Electric by night. All man, 24/7. All Yves Saint Laurent.
The man
He’s a leader, coolly prowling gleaming urban landscapes. An aesthete and a dandy, in love with sleek, beautiful things – cutting-edge architecture, classic cars, a legendary guitar, a gleaming vintage jukebox or a sharply cut suit. An elusive seducer, with just a hint of the bad boy to spice up his innate magnetism. Before he even arrives, a thrill runs through the room.
Everyone senses his presence. As soon as he steps in, his effortless couture elegance catches every eye. And when he’s gone, he leaves an indelible aura behind. Will he be the seducer or the seduced? Charismatic and alluring, L’Homme is clearly a man worth pursuing.
The fragrance
A modern, powerful and elegant interpretation of the iconic Eau De Toilette, Le Parfum is quintessence of L’Homme’s DNA, distilled by Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion and Juliette Karagueuzoglou. Richly faceted by vibrant natural essences and high-impact molecules, Le Parfum showcases the purest expression of L’Homme’s olfactory signature: an intriguing blend of coolly urban notes and smoothly seductive woods. The scent opens with a flash of metal and ozone – the electrifying air of the city before a storm. The feeling that anything is possible… A twist of Italian lemon primofiore, the most fragrant quality of the citrus, adds its tang to the cocktail.
The green gleam of cardamom and basil introduces another type of freshness with its anisic facets, introducing the heart of the fragrance. An elegant accord of mint-cool geranium and verdant violet leaf, with its subtle suede effects. But, with a touch of earthiness. Underlying these fresh aromatic notes, Le Parfum reveals a potent contrast of woody essences. Primal vetiver, with its smoky, flinty accents. The sleek modernity of cedar wood. Two luxurious man-made ingredients add smoothness to the blend. Ambroxan, a sexy, woody ambery note, and Cashmeran, a complex molecule with facets of pine and sensuous musk. The scent of warm skin under that sharp-edged suit. The secret of L’Homme’s magnetic attraction.
The bottle
With its boldly oversized metallic hexagonal cap bearing the signature Cassandre logo topping a sleekly minimalist bottle, L’Homme became an icon from the outset. A unique, instantly identifiable silhouette for Yves Saint Laurent’s contemporary masculine classic. For L’Homme Le Parfum, the bottle’s design takes on a new colour: a subtle downward gradient of intense, inky blue, evoking the lasting power of ink – an apt metaphor for the indelible trail of the fragrance.
The campaign
He’s the man. L’Homme in the flesh, by day and by night. Once again, the New Zealand-born model Vinnie Woolston is the nonchalant, seductive ambassador of Yves Saint Laurent’s olfactory icon. In an elegant print campaign shot by the New York-based photographer Billy Kidd, our hero reclines on the leather backseat of a classic car, dressed in a sleek black suit. The black & white photography showcases the intense blue of the L’Homme Le Parfum bottle, the sole touch of colour in the ad.
In the film campaign directed by the MTV Award-winning American film-maker Colin Tilley – who authored the white-hot institutional campaign film for L’Homme in 2016 – our hero takes on the role of a mystery man. Is he a business leader? A star? A playboy millionaire? Leaving a contemporary building to slide onto the back seat of a luxurious sedan, he weaves his way through a modern cityscape.
But he’s been spotted. A black-clad beauty, played by the statuesque Japanese model Chiharu Okunugi, has picked up his trail. She’s there, behind the window, as he tries out a gleaming Les Paul guitar. But whoever she is, a spy or a lover, he’s on to her. As she follows him with her gaze one last time, he disappears again…. Suddenly, she’s the one sitting in the back seat. Alone? Not quite. He’s left a last, intimate trace of his magnetic presence. A perfume bottle. She dabs the scent behind her ear, biting her lip as she breathes it in… Now he’s the one watching her ride away in his sedan. What is the secret attraction of the blue bottle he left on the seat? Will the ruggedly handsome aesthete and his glamorous pursuer meet again on the trail of L’Homme Le Parfum? By the end of the sleekly elegant movie, the mystery lingers…
The heritage
With L’Homme and La Nuit De L’Homme, Yves Saint Laurent celebrates the two faces of the modern man. From cool, charming nonchalance to electrifying seduction. From the hunted to the hunter. The urbane scene-stealer to the urban bad boy. A duality that reflects Yves Saint Laurent’s indelible olfactory heritage. This time, L’Homme Le Parfum joins a range of seductive notes:
L’Homme Eau De Toilette 2008: the freshness of a fruity woody. The fragrance is dedicated to a man whose masculinity leaves no one indifferent. Cool and free, he sets his own rules in an urban and contemporary world.
La Nuit De L’Homme Eau De Toilette 2009: the energy of a fresh oriental. The fragrance is dedicated to an effortless and self-confident seducer. Electric and untamed, he reveals his irresistible sensuality at nightfall.
La Nuit De L’Homme Le Parfum 2010: the mystery of a spicy oriental. The fragrance is made of tensions and olfactory clashes, for a darkly handsome man who sweeps away everything in his path. A mysterious evolution of darkness and light; a night full of promises.
